Roy Hodgson backs the FA's plan to target European Under-21 Championship glory
next June in Czech Republic

England plan to pick the strongest possible squad should they qualify for the European Under‑21 Championship next summer in a bold attempt to win the competition. Roy Hodgson has confirmed that the Football Association would like to use players from his senior squad.

Raheem Sterling, Jack Wilshere (still qualified under Uefa rules), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ross Barkley, John Stones, Calum Chambers and Luke Shaw are all eligible for Gareth Southgate’s squad. Hodgson will not release all the players – the latter quartet are more likely to be selected – but said he supported the plan.

“Absolutely,” Hodgson said. “That’s what the FA would like to happen. It will just be a question of Gareth and I sitting down and deciding which ones are the right ones to send.

“There is always going to be a risk that he and I decide that although this player could have done both [under-21s and seniors] we are not going to ask him to because he already has tournament experience, for example, or we think it’s a bit unfair he has not been anywhere near the other ones and all of a sudden he jumps in but it will be a real discussion point between Gareth and I and we both sing off the same hymn sheet.

“I am certain there will be players who will have made an appearance with us or will have certainly been with us and we are going to say: ‘Look, just because you have been with us for a while that doesn’t make you a 100 per cent bona fide senior that never plays anywhere else. It just makes you an England player and we are going to use you where we think best.’ First they have got to get through that play-off.”

The under-21s have won their qualification group and go into a play-off next month against Croatia for one of the seven tournament places alongside the hosts, the Czech Republic. The competition takes place in the last two weeks of June and if England have a successful campaign it would provide a huge boost and help to prepare for the Euro 2016 tournament the following year.

The FA is aware of how seriously other nations take the under-21s and the significant benefit it can provide – the German team that won the World Cup in Brazil had at its core players who triumphed in the 2009 under-21s tournament. The FA also want to reverse the thinking of some players that they are too good for the under-21s or that they have outgrown them as was argued with Theo Walcott five years ago.

Hodgson said: “What I am saying is let’s look at players who could play, let’s see what they have been doing club-wise, international-wise and let’s make a good decision – one that Gareth is happy with and one that I think is a wise decision too and I don’t have any fears for it too because we have not had any problems up to now.

"I mean, Calum Chambers – I was going to let him go with Gareth [for the under-21s tie against Moldova] and then all of a sudden we lose two [players to injury] and I said ‘I am sorry. I have got to take him’ and he said ‘so you should. Off you go’.”

Hodgson also has to balance the fact that England’s senior team have two matches next June – a friendly against Republic of Ireland on June 7 and a Euro 2016 qualifier away against Slovenia seven days later – and the FA will also have to deal with the concerns of the clubs.

But by the time of the Slovenia match England will have played San Marino at home, Estonia away, Slovenia at home and Lithuania at home and will be disappointed if they have not already collected another 12 points to make certain of qualification.

Sterling started two matches in the Brazil World Cup and, given his importance to the senior side, even though he is aged 19, he might not be considered. But, in theory, he could play against Slovenia and then meet up with Southgate’s squad. Liverpool may fear he is being overplayed.

With the seniors, England’s 2-0 win away against Switzerland has put them in a strong position to qualify from Group E. Having won in Basle it is unthinkable that they will not finish ahead of Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia and San Marino to claim one of the two automatic qualification places.

It effectively gives Hodgson an 18-month period in which to build and develop his squad for the finals in France with the manager admitting that for some of his young players England will be “very, very important” because they may not feature regularly for their club.

He cited Everton’s Stones, who is 20, and who made his competitive debut against the Swiss and was an assured right-back. “I’m going to have to keep an eye on him and hope that he gets some games, but if he doesn’t, I’ll have to make sure that I keep faith in him and keep working with him,” Hodgson said.